The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-21
The Color Line in Schools.

Representative Glenn's bill requiring
white children and colored children to be
educated in separate schools is attracting
considerable attention not only in the State
but outside of it. That the bill is a good
one there is no doubt, and that it ought 10
become a law will be generally admitted. 1t
possesses nothing new. 1t simply provides
the machinery for carrying into effect the
organic law of the State.
The public schools although notns good as
the people would like to have them, are
steadily improving. and in the course OF
few years they will compare favorably with
those of any other State. They are support
ed almost wholly by the white people and
are willingly supported. They would
be greatly improved at once If the
people could afford the means to improve
them. 1t is a source of satisfaction that
they have so strong a hold upon the good
will of all classes, and that the sentiment in
favor of steadily improving them is
strengthening. The importance of main
tanning the present harmonious and favor
able feeling with regard to them is apparent
to all sincere friends of public education.
If the impression once gets abroad that the
outcome of the public school system will be
the education of white and colored children
in the same schools hostile feeling to the
system viii at once manifest itself, and if it
should not prove TO be strong enough to de
stroy the system there is good reason for
thinking that it would seriously cripple it.
Efforts would be made TO withhold State
aid, and TO bring the system into disrepute.
The colored people have two universities
at Atlanta which are aided by the State,
and which are well patronized. They are
satisfied with them and are taking advan-
tage of the educational facilities which they
offer They do not ask admission into the
State University where white youths are
educated and there is no reason why white
students should be thrust into the cOlored
universities. They have not attempted to
cross the line of separation between the two
races which the constitution draws, and the
white people ought not to be permitted to
cross it.
1t seems that the students which have
been admitted into.the colored universities
are children of the professors of those uni
versities, and the excuse they give for
placing them there is that they wanted to
have them under their own direction and
influence. The excuse is not a good one.
They knew that the policy in this State,
clearly defined in the constitution, was to
keep the white and colored students sepa-
rate, and they ought to have respected it.
If their views We're contrary to that policy
they ought to have resigned and sought EN-
ployment where policy prevailed that was
in harmony with their approval.
Representative Glenn's bill does not dis
criminate against the colored people. 1t
simply means that for the good of both the
white and black races, the children of the
two races shall be educated in separate
schools, and that the educational facilities
provided for one race shall be as satisfactory
as those provided for the other race. No
body can pretend to speak for the far flu
ture, but those who control the affairs of
the present are clearly of the opinion that it
is wise to make the line of demarkation be
tween the white and black races very dis
tinct